[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 18 (Wednesday, January 28, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4564-4565]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-01170]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPP-2014-0805; FRL-9920-16]
EPA Proposal To Improve Corn Rootworm Resistance Management;
Notice of Availability
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: EPA is making available for public comment a proposal to
improve the corn rootworm insect resistance management program
currently in place for registrations of plant-incorporated protectants
(PIP) derived from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) in corn.
EPA is also soliciting input from all affected stakeholders
including corn growers, industry, academia, and the general public.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before March 16, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2014-0805, by one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. Do not submit
electronically any information you consider to be Confidential Business
Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted
by statute.
Mail: OPP Docket, Environmental Protection Agency Docket
Center (EPA/DC), (28221T), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC
20460-0001.
Hand Delivery: To make special arrangements for hand
delivery or delivery of boxed information, please follow the
instructions at http://www.epa.gov/dockets/contacts.html.
Additional instructions on commenting or visiting the docket, along
with more information about dockets generally, is available at http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert McNally, Biopesticides and
Pollution Prevention Division (7511P), Office of Pesticide Programs,
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.,
Washington, DC 20460-0001; main telephone number: (703) 305-7090; email
address: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Does this action apply to me?
You may be potentially affected by this action if you are a
registrant or manufacturer of PIPs for control of corn rootworm, grow
corn rootworm-protected corn PIPs for crop or animal production, serve
as a corn agronomist, crop consultant or extension specialist, or
conduct insect resistance management-related research. The following
list of North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) codes
is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather provides a guide to help
readers determine whether this document applies to them. Potentially
affected entities may include:
Crop production (NAICS code 111).
[emsp14]Animal production (NAICS code 112).
[emsp14]Food manufacturing (NAICS code 311).
[emsp14]Pesticide manufacturing (NAICS code 32532).
B. What should I consider as I prepare my comments for EPA?
1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit this information to EPA through
regulations.gov or email. Clearly mark the part or all of the
information that you claim to be CBI. For CBI information in a disk or
CD-ROM that you mail to EPA, mark the outside of the disk or CD-ROM as
CBI and then identify electronically within the disk or CD-ROM the
specific information that is claimed as CBI. In addition to one
complete version of the comment that includes information claimed as
CBI, a copy of the comment that does not contain the information
claimed as CBI must be submitted for inclusion in the public docket.
Information so marked will not be disclosed except in accordance with
procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2.
2. Tips for preparing your comments. When preparing and submitting
your comments, see the commenting tips at http://www.epa.gov/dockets/comments.html.
II. What action is the agency taking?
EPA is making available for public comment a proposal to improve
the corn rootworm insect resistance management program currently in
place for registrations of plant-incorporated protectants (PIP) derived
from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) in corn. EPA's proposal contains
measures designed to delay corn rootworms' development of
[[Page 4565]]
resistance to Bt microbial pesticides genetically engineered into corn.
This proposal responds to reports of widespread corn rootworm
resistance to two Bt corn traits and reflects advice received by the
Agency from the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
(FIFRA) Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP). EPA believes that the proposed
enhancements would prolong the effectiveness of Bt PIPs for corn
rootworm control significantly--which is important because of the long
safety record of these PIPs. If used properly, PIPs greatly reduce the
need for conventional pesticides and the risks they may present to
human health and the environment. EPA is soliciting input from all
affected stakeholders including corn growers, industry, academia, and
the general public.
A copy of the proposal, entitled ``EPA Framework for PIP
Registrants: Proposal to Address Key SAP Recommendations for Corn
Rootworm (CRW) IRM,'' is available in the docket.
As part of its regulation of insect resistance management for Bt
PIPs, EPA requires a resistance monitoring program for the major target
pests of corn and cotton. The primary objective of resistance
monitoring is to detect shifts in susceptibility before the onset of
resistance leads to widespread field failure. Specific resistance
monitoring strategies have consisted of two main components:
1. Investigation of unexpected field damage reports from growers,
extension agents, consultants, or company agronomists, and
2. Monitoring for changes in susceptibility through targeted
population sampling and testing.
For both objectives, bioassays are used to determine the
susceptibility of each sampled population. If resistance is detected in
the assays, a remedial action plan is triggered with the goal of
containing the resistant population to maintain trait durability.
CRW presents a number of challenges for resistance monitoring. The
insect has one generation per year, undergoes obligate diapause, and
feeds subterraneanly--factors that limit the ability to conduct
susceptibility bioassays. CRW are generally less sensitive to Bt toxins
than other target pests of Bt PIPs (e.g., lepidoptera). To illustrate,
all of the Bt toxins registered for CRW control (Cry3Bb1, Cry34/35,
mCry3A, and eCry3.1Ab) are not considered ``high dose'' (as defined by
EPA's 1998 FIFRA SAP), meaning that some susceptible CRW individuals
will likely survive exposure to Bt. These factors can complicate both
field scouting and interpretation of bioassays. Timing is also a
concern; because of obligate diapause, a sampled population may not be
tested (and determined to be resistant) until the following season.
EPA is concerned about the ability of CRW to develop resistance to
Bt corn PIPs. Recent reports have documented CRW resistance to two Bt
traits, Cry3Bb1 and mCry3A, in parts of Iowa and Illinois. Seeking
guidance in regards to these concerns, the Agency convened a FIFRA SAP
meeting in December 2013. The panel was tasked with evaluating EPA's
current resistance monitoring strategy for CRW and providing
recommendations for improvement. Meeting materials, including a white
paper detailing EPA's concerns with CRW resistance monitoring, the
charge to the SAP, and the SAP's final report, are available in docket
number EPA-HQ-OPP-2013-0490.
Following the SAP meeting, EPA developed the mitigation proposal to
enhance CRW resistance management. EPA's proposed enhancements address
the following five aspects of CRW resistance management:
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as a component of corn
rootworm resistance management.
Responses to unexpected damage in Bt corn fields.
Elimination of the requirement for annual random sampling
of corn rootworm from the Corn Belt.
Use of on-plant assays for resistance determinations.
Enhancements to current remedial action plans.
EPA believes that these proposed enhancements are consistent with
the SAP's guidance and will prolong the effectiveness of Bt corn PIPs
for CRW control by reducing selection pressure for resistance,
improving resistance detection capability, and better mitigate
populations that do develop resistance. The Agency's goals are to
prolong the durability of Bt corn while maintaining the environmental
benefits of these important CRW management tools.
The Agency is seeking input on the proposal from potentially
affected entities and other stakeholders, including (but not limited
to) registrants of pesticides and PIPs for corn, corn growers, crop
consultants/agronomists, commodity groups, extension entomologists,
independent researchers, and the general public. Commenters are also
encouraged to provide input on the specific recommendations provided by
the SAP, including alternate approaches or counter proposals towards
addressing the CRW resistance management issues raised by the panel.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.
Dated: December 31, 2014.
Robert McNally,
Director, Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division, Office of
Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. 2015-01170 Filed 1-27-15; 8:45 am]
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